CHICAGO: IT’S NOT PERSONAL

There’s an element of honor involved here. The [tag]Bears[/tag] are playing by the rules. A player doesn’t like the rules, so now he thinks he can orchestrate his future.

Hmm. The rules also include being able to cut a player with a long-term contract. Does that seem honorable?

Blame Briggs and curse him because he doesn’t think $7.2 million is enough. Fine. But take into account the average length of an NFL player’s career and you see that this is probably the only long term contract he’ll ever sign. It’s his chance to get paid in full.

We’re not talking about Warrick Holdman or Rosie Colvin here. Briggs is a stud. Pro Bowl player with speed, toughness and a zeal for playing the game.

It’s pretty easy for Joe Blogger and Johnny Newspaperman (good friends of mine) to say Briggs should just take the one year salary bump and play. Suppose though that Briggs gets injured this year. Then what?

I don’t care for all the orchestrations. But he’s just trying to get the best deal for himself and do it while he still can. It’s nothing personal, Chicago.

Posted by admin on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at 8:11 am Filed under Bears · Tagged with

PV

Don’t forget that when the Bears made him an offer last year, and he declined, they basically told him they were going to franchise him. And the franchise tag is a collectively bargained tool for the teams to use in these situations.

I understand what you’re saying – the NFL career is short and this is his chance for some guaranteed dough. Agreed. But he also had the chance before last year for some of that dough, and he didn’t worry about injury last year in turning it down. Why now is the risk any different? At least this year he’d get paid.

What gets me is: he made the choice, he knew the consequences, and now he’s acting all outraged by it.

While I can muster empathy for working within a system that might not seem fair (that’s a union issue), it’s not as if he didn’t know the rules going in, so I’m not sympathetic. This is indeed a total case of business is business – except for Briggs, who thinks he’s special and deserves different. He needs to get over himself.

http://zonersports.com The Zoner

He would not have been paid like he could be this year. He’s ‘acting’ all outraged because he’s trying to get what he wants. He doesn’t care what the Bears get in return for him, he just wants out. And look who his agent is.

I’m not sympathetic to him either. $7.2 puts him in the top five and it’s likely more than I will ever make for the rest of my life. But when London Fletcher gets like a 10 mill signing bonus, what would Briggs get? Isn’t London Fletcher like 47 years old?

Let me ask you–if Brian Urlacher made 2 consecutive pro bowls and then got franchised, what do you think he’d do? How bout Ray Lewis? While Briggs may not be of the caliber of those players, he’s definitely one of the best at his position. I don’t see him as being different at all. I see him as just being a pro athlete. It’s all par for the course.